


[Three] Times a Charm

by NerdsbianHokie



Series: [Three] [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Meeting the Parents, Multi, Recovering Alcoholic!Alex, Thanksgiving Dinner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 02:18:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8826547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdsbianHokie/pseuds/NerdsbianHokie
Summary: For the third year in a row, Alex has news to share at Thanksgiving - her relationship with Maggie and Lucy.Her relationship with alcohol, however, is vastly different than in years past.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing.

Alex stared into her mug, watching the liquid within twirl as she rotated it. She lifted the mug and took a sip.

The cocoa was good - Maggie made it, so of course it was good - but it could be better.

It could have alcohol in it, for example.

Or, it could be nothing but alcohol.

She glanced up across the island, where Lucy had just gone to help Maggie. She watched them hover over the stove for a moment, before sliding off of her stool. She continued to watch them as she backed up.

There was whiskey hidden in the cabinet against the other wall. If she was careful, she might be able to spike her cocoa before they noticed.

Guilt rolled through her, making her freeze.

She hadn’t had a drink in five months.

Maggie held up a spoon of sauce, teasing gently until Lucy tried it. Lucy’s eyes went wide after a moment, smiling with a nod. Then she clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at something Maggie said. Warmth ballooned in Alex’s chest. She took a small step back towards the kitchen.

Five months sober. Seven months since she had admitted to having a problem. Because of them.

And they had been amazing. Supportive and understanding, firm when needed, but never pushy, never judgmental. They, and Kara, had gotten her through detox, and had helped her stick with the 12-steps group, and LGBT specific one Vasquez’ wife had recommended. They had been the reason she started the process in the first place, before she had found the desire to be sober for herself.

Five months, and the thought of introducing her girlfriends to her parents was sending her back. Her mother, who may have accepted that she liked girls, but two girls, at once, who were also into each other? Her father, who had only been back in Alex’s life for less than a year? Alex honestly had no clue.

It wasn’t even like her parents didn’t already know. She may not have explicitly told them that she was dating two women, but she had also never actually kept it a secret.

She was hit by another wave of guilt.

Did she really have a right to worry about this, when neither Maggie nor Lucy’s parents fully accepted that they were attracted to women?

God, she wanted a drink.

Lucy turned, the question on her lips fading at the sight of Alex standing and staring. Lucy raised an eyebrow in silent question. Alex shook her head, which made Lucy narrow her eyes, which made Maggie turn, head tilted.

Alex stepped to the island, leaning forward on her forearms, and setting her mug on the counter. She kept her fingers wrapped around the mug, using it to mask the tremble in her hands.

“There’s whiskey in the cabinet,” she said before she could stop herself. “Behind my old textbooks.”

Alex stared at her mug, too scared to see their disappointed looks.

There were a few moments of silence, then the sound of bare feet on hardwood.

Lucy’s hand rested on Alex’s arm, right below the elbow. Behind them, the cabinet opened, and Maggie searched for a few moments before it closed again. When the small thud of the bottle being put on the counter sounded, Alex flinched.

“How long has it been there?” Maggie asked. Her voice was low, soft.

Alex glanced up at the bottle, still sealed shut and coated in a layer of dust, then stared at the counter.

“Since June,” she admitted.

Lucy’s fingers tightened around her arm on reflex. Alex clung to the sensation, letting it ground her.

“I’m sorry,” Alex said.

“Hey,” Maggie cut in, voice still soft. “You don’t have to apologize, okay? We’re glad you told us.”

Alex shook her head lightly.

“Really,” Lucy spoke up. “It’s been there for months, and it’s not even open. That’s kind of amazing, Alex.”

Alex pulled in a shaky breath, then let it out. What did she do to deserve these women? She couldn’t figure it out.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a text from Kara, and let out a nervous laugh. _Just parked, we’re on our way up_.

“They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“You okay?” Maggie asked.

Alex closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel Lucy’s hand on her arm, and the presence of Maggie against her side. She could do this. She could do it, and she didn’t need a drink.

“I’m okay,” she said. She looked at the bottle. “We should give that to my parents,” she said.

“You’re sure?” Maggie asked, more about Alex being okay than the bottle.

Alex nodded. She was sure. Well, mostly sure.

A knock sounded at the door. Alex groaned.

“You’ve got this,” Lucy said, squeezing Alex’s arm before pulling her hand away.

“And if you don’t,” Maggie cut in as she grabbed the bottle of whiskey. “You’ve got us.”

Alex smiled and let out a laugh. She pushed off of the counter and, mug still in hand, walked to the door.

Her heart skipped a beat when she opened the door and her father was on the other side. He barely got a word out before she threw her arms around him. She pressed her face into his chest, and felt more than heard his chuckles.

Her mug was taken from her hand. Someone slipped past them into the apartment.

Jeremiah waited until Alex started to pull back to let go. She felt like a kid again when he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Dad.”

They stared at each other for a moment, then Alex was hugging him again.

He smelled exactly like she remembered. Not quite like the scientist he was, not quite like the beach where he taught her to surf, but instead, somehow, a mix of the two.

“I missed you,” she murmured into his shirt.

“I know,” he replied, just as softly. “I know.”

She pulled back a few moments later, then glanced at her mom. Eliza was grinning as Alex moved to hug her as well. She pushed some of Alex’s hair back when they parted.

“It’s good to see you, Alex.”

“You too, Mom.”

Alex stared at her parents for a moment, marveling at the fact that they were both there, then shook her head with a smile. She stood to the side, leaning on the edge of the door, and swinging her arm to the side as an invitation.

She closed the door once they were inside, and took a second to take everything in. Her parents were hanging their coats on the hooks on the wall. Her girlfriends were standing next to the island, right were the living room turned into the kitchen, trying and failing to not look nervous. Her sister was sitting at the island, drinking Alex’s cocoa.

She could really use a…

No.

She took a deep breath and stepped up next to her parents.

“Mom, Dad.” She glanced at her girlfriends, taking solace in Maggie’s smile and courage from Lucy’s nod. “This is Maggie, and Lucy.” She swallowed. “My, uh, my girlfriends.”

For a moment, the apartment is silent. Then Jeremiah stepped forward and pulled both Maggie and Lucy into a hug.

Alex let out a relieved laugh.

A hand on her shoulder pulled her attention to her mother, who was smiling at her.

“I’m so proud of you, sweetie.”

Alex couldn’t stop the smile, so she lowered her head and let her hair fall around her face. Eliza, however, tucked the hair behind Alex’s ear.

“They make you happy.”

Alex looked up at Maggie and Lucy talking with her father. She nodded. “They do.” Maggie laughed at something Lucy said, and sent a grin Alex’s way. “They really do, Mom.”

**Author's Note:**

> So this did not turn out the way I expected. At all.
> 
> I'm not too super happy about the characterization, it just feels off for me, but I’m done tweaking.
> 
> It went from Alex drunk at dinner, to Maggie and Lucy doing their best to keep Alex from getting drunk (with much better success than Kara), to this.
> 
> As I worked on it, I just realized that there's no way Maggie and Lucy would let Alex's alcoholism go on this long, not when she and Maggie have been together for just shy of a year at this point, and Alex and Lucy have been dating for about eight months.
> 
> Alex wanting to drink now isn't just introducing her parents to her girlfriends, it's also the time of the year. What we've seen in the show, Alex drinks more, and more freely on Thanksgiving, so it would make sense that she would be tempted to drink again. It isn't touched on in the story because it's from Alex's pov, and she may not be fully aware of it.
> 
> Vasquez's wife is named Erin. To find out more about her, check out my 'Vasquez and Wife' tag on my tumblr, nerdsbianhokie.
> 
> What happened in June may be touched on in a future fic, but before that, I'm working on another smut piece for these three.


End file.
